Arquivo para December 5th, 2024
Courage, Christmas and the house on the rock
05
Dec
In philosophy, the Englishwoman Philippa Foot
dealt with this aspect of moral ethics and for this reason her ethics became known as virtue ethics. We’ve done some previous posts on this, but how does it relate to Christmas and the “house on the rock”?
To face dangers and even trials (and provocations) is to be well aligned with the other two cardinal virtues: prudence and wisdom, as well as justice, but we have already said that the “just” in the Bible is not human justice, which is merciless and legalistic, because the divine contemplates mercy and forgiveness, and without it even human judges would be condemned.
Courage (or fortitude) is accompanied by prudence, the ability to pass or remove obstacles in life in order to overcome them so as not to reproduce hatred, violence and revenge, and so must produce and be led by wisdom, which is not just culture and good reading, it is looking at the Other with the dignity they have.
This is the spirit of Christmas, which commemorates the birth of the Prince of Peace, the one who was also judged and condemned by human justice (that of the ‘religious’ Pharisees and the Roman Empire, Pilate who washed his hands of it), but did not fear to speak The Truth.
In all languages and nations, this desire for love, peace and harmony between peoples never dies, but keeping it alive depends on the virtue of fortitude, and keeping it for life implies doing what gives meaning to “building the house on the rock” (Mt 7: 24-27).
This virtue emphasizes the fortitude (courage) to stand firm over life and the purpose of not giving in to contemporary inclinations: consumerism, immorality, injustices (small and large), unbelief, political and ideological hatred and recklessness.
This is not just a date, but it is a good reference for us to remember these human traits that give hope for a happier and more harmonious future civilization, an everlasting Christmas.
